Innate immune receptor which acts as a cytoplasmic sensor of viral nucleic acids and plays a major role in sensing viral infection and in the activation of a cascade of antiviral responses including the induction of type I interferons and proinflammatory cytokines. Its ligands include: 5'-triphosphorylated ssRNA and dsRNA and short dsRNA (<1 kb in length). In addition to the 5'-triphosphate moiety, blunt-end base pairing at the 5'-end of the RNA is very essential. Overhangs at the non-triphosphorylated end of the dsRNA RNA have no major impact on its activity. A 3'overhang at the 5'triphosphate end decreases and any 5'overhang at the 5' triphosphate end abolishes its activity. Upon ligand binding it associates with mitochondria antiviral signaling protein (MAVS/IPS1) which activates the IKK-related kinases: TBK1 and IKBKE which phosphorylate interferon regulatory factors: IRF3 and IRF7 which in turn activate transcription of antiviral immunological genes, including interferons (IFNs); IFN-alpha and IFN-beta. Detects both positive and negative strand RNA viruses including members of the families Paramyxoviridae: Human respiratory syncytial virus and measles virus (MeV), Rhabdoviridae: vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), Orthomyxoviridae: influenza A and B virus, Flaviviridae: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), dengue virus (DENV) and west Nile virus (WNV). It also detects rotavirus and reovirus. Also involved in antiviral signaling in response to viruses containing a dsDNA genome such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Detects dsRNA produced from non-self dsDNA by RNA polymerase III, such as Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNAs (EBERs). May play important roles in granulocyte production and differentiation, bacterial phagocytosis and in the regulation of cell migration.

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